Bryn Mawr College vs Bowdoin College

Bryn Mawr College and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bryn Mawr, a women's college in Pennsylvania, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on interdisciplinary learning, while Bowdoin, a coeducational college in Maine, emphasizes experiential education and civic engagement. With acceptance rates of 29% and 11%, respectively, these colleges attract academically accomplished students. Bryn Mawr's student body is predominantly female, while Bowdoin's is more evenly balanced. Popular majors at Bryn Mawr include social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences, while Bowdoin students often pursue majors in the social sciences, biological sciences, and physical sciences. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Bryn Mawr's at 89% and Bowdoin's at 94%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' similarities and differences, and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Bryn Mawr College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	39.3%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	9,325	3,391
Total number of admissions given out	822	1,334
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	422
Yield rate	62.9%	31.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$75,690
Average net price	$26,727	$34,482
Tuition	$57,776	$55,025
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $9,910 Meal plan: $7,460
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	69.0% Average amount $39,058
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	67.0% Average amount $5,334
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	5.0% Average amount $17,905

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,423 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	N/A	355 Men 22.0% Women 78.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	13.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,277
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Maine Connecticut New Jersey	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Social Sciences English Language and Literature Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	87.0%
Dropout rate	2.2%	5.7%
Transferred out	4.0%	6.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $122,292 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $83,803 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,127 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $77,719 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,934 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $60,473 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,244 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,658 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: N/A Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,454 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,043 Year 2: $48,579 Year 3: $49,145 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $44,579 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $41,196 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,644 Year 2: $19,162 Year 3: $38,634 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,667 Year 3: N/A

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